February 2013 Resolution Update! (a day late)

Two months ago, I posted my 2013 goals and resolutions. If you don't want to click through and read the whole post again, here is what I posted as my goals:

1. Fit back into a size 8 and be healthy about it.
          a. Work out at least two hours each week
          b. Stop eating so much junk food. Eat fruits and vegetables instead.
2. Pay off the car loan.
          a. Find my cheques
          b. Stay within budget
          c. Track spending and budget
3. Write more
          a. Edit my NaNoWriMo2012 novel to readability and have people read it.
          b. Continue working on the first draft of my other novel
          c. Add new content to this blog and to my Helium.com profile every week.
4. Finish 3 of my university courses
          a. one at a time, starting with Introductory Composition


So, for the update, continue reading:

1. Fit back into a size 8 and be healthy about it.
          a. Work out at least two hours each week

Still haven't lost a pound, but I started getting more active in that at least once a week I go for a ten minute walk, and separately I walk up and down the stairs at work for 5 minutes every now and then. Work in progress.

          b. Stop eating so much junk food. Eat fruits and vegetables instead.

February was a bad month for this, for some reason. I started off well, but as the month continued... donuts and delicious junk food everywhere. March is here now, so it's time to restart.

2. Pay off the car loan.
          a. Find my cheques

Done last month.
          c. Track spending and budget

Did okay for this, but we stayed on track and ended up spending less than usual, so that's nice!

3. Write more

          a. Edit my NaNoWriMo2012 novel to readability and have people read it.

Just don't look at this one...

          b. Continue working on the first draft of my other novel

Ehmmmmm....

          c. Add new content to this blog and to my Helium.com profile every week.

Added one thing to Helium, and a few things to my blog, so at least that's something!

4. Finish 3 of my university courses

          a. one at a time, starting with Introductory Composition

Almost halfway through Introductory Composition. I'm about a full unit behind, but I've been plugging away at it most of the month, and I am hoping to have completed Unit 4 (of 6) by the end of March.

So that's it for now! As I mentioned last month, I have been making bi-weekly videos, so if you want to check out my Youtube channel, click here.

If you have any questions, tips, suggestions, or anything else, share it below! Thanks for your continuing support!

Peace, love, and March on!

January 2013 Resolution Update!

About a month ago, I posted my 2013 goals and resolutions. If you don't want to click through and read the whole post again, here is what I posted as my goals:

1. Fit back into a size 8 and be healthy about it.
          a. Work out at least two hours each week
          b. Stop eating so much junk food. Eat fruits and vegetables instead.
2. Pay off the car loan.
          a. Find my cheques
          b. Stay within budget
          c. Track spending and budget
3. Write more
          a. Edit my NaNoWriMo2012 novel to readability and have people read it.
          b. Continue working on the first draft of my other novel
          c. Add new content to this blog and to my Helium.com profile every week.
4. Finish 3 of my university courses
          a. one at a time, starting with Introductory Composition

Sidenote: I was asked to update also on a drawing commitment I had made (to my mom). The update is: I can't find the drawing I had made so far, but when I do I will continue with working on it. I have been practicing the tribal part, and may end up just starting over with the outline that I still have. If you want to see what I've done so far, let me know!

So, to update, continue reading:

1. Fit back into a size 8 and be healthy about it.
          a. Work out at least two hours each week

Realistically I've probably only done about an hour each week of real working out. There was a lot going on this month, and I just didn't prioritize it. Now I'm paying for it, as I haven't shrunk at all and I have a wedding to attend this Saturday with nothing to wear.

          b. Stop eating so much junk food. Eat fruits and vegetables instead.

I've done pretty good with this task overall, I feel like I've been eating less junky crap and making a real concerted effort to snack on fresh fruit. I've also increased how much vegetables go on my dinner plate. Now to find a way to add F&V to breakfast...

2. Pay off the car loan.
          a. Find my cheques

Did this! Had to order more, but after I ordered them, I found my old ones. So now I have enough cheques to last me about 20 years...

          b. Stay within budget

Despite January being pretty tight at the beginning (curse you, Christmas!), since both WW and I got 3 paycheques this month, we're WAY ahead. Huzzah!

          c. Track spending and budget

Did this for all of January!

3. Write more
          a. Edit my NaNoWriMo2012 novel to readability and have people read it.

Didn't even touch it. Yes I am shame...

          b. Continue working on the first draft of my other novel

Again, didn't even touch it. I told you it was a rough month!

          c. Add new content to this blog and to my Helium.com profile every week.

Did half of this, I've been updating this blog fairly frequently, so that's exciting! Helium has been neglected this month aside from today, better luck next month! (However, despite barely touching my Helium account [and writing nothing until the last day of the month], I made 1$ in revenue! Woo!)

4. Finish 3 of my university courses
          a. one at a time, starting with Introductory Composition

Working on it, finished Unit 1 and am halfway through the reading for Unit 2. The first assignment for Unit 2 is due Feb 19, so I am on track!

So there you have it! I also made a goal to myself to start making Youtube videos, which I kept secret because I didn't think I'd actually do it, but I have two posted now! If you haven't already, and you want to look at my face click HERE for the first, and HERE for the second!

How has your January gone? Productive? Non-productive? New changes or old habits? Share them here!

Peace, love, and ACHEIVEMENT UNLOCKED!

Unimaginable Pain - A family story

There are some stories that need to be told, even if the story isn't coming from the person the story is centred around. This is one of those stories. I will be using a pseudonymn, as the person whose story this is may want to keep parts of it to himself. This story is about someone in my family, someone very dear to me, who has experienced the unimaginable and yet come out the other end strong and optimistic. This is the story of my Cousin.

*******

Just over a year ago, my Cousin contacted us from his residence at post-secondary. He had wonderful news that just couldn't be shared coldly over text messages, but broadcast to the entire family via video messaging.

My Cousin had just gotten engaged! We were all so happy, knowing that he had been with this girl for many months, and knowing that he was happy. It was announced that they would not be married until they both finished school, and until then they were just promised to one another with love in their eyes and hope in their hearts.

A few months later, another announcement. It came with a visit back home, at a family event. A sad event, but lightened with the news which my Cousin brought. His fiancee was pregnant. Though it had not been planned, it was a welcome announcement to all involved. Everyone was so happy for him and the fiancee, and best wishes were shared across the board.

All was well for many months, the due date being foretold as being December 26th. There were no sounds of dischord, no unpleasant news, all seemed to be well and my Cousin seemed to be happy.

Then, without warning, months later while my Cousin was visiting once more, he kept withdrawn. He barely spoke without prompting and he stuck to the sidelines and the shadows. Approaching him, I asked him how he was, and he brushed it off as "fine". Undeterred, I asked him about the fiancee, thinking, hoping for happy news.

My hopes were crushed, as was his heart, with the announcement that there was trouble in paradise. The girl he had promised his heart to, who carried his child, had broken his heart. And though he had tried everything to mend the scattered remains of their bond, she left him with no communication and no updates as to the wellbeing of her self or their child.

As Christmas loomed ever nearer, he wondered how she was. How the baby was, whether the baby was going to come early (as he did) or late or even on time. He fantasized about the different things he would do with the child as it grew into a toddler, preschooler, preteen. His thoughts were rarely on much else, aside from staying connected with his friends and functioning through the holidays.

Boxing day came and went with nary a word. Texts were sent to the mother, and to her parents, with short clipped replies. Curt "no baby yet" and terse "yes she's fine" was all he heard. Days passed. The new year came to being, a fresh new start. But the burden of not knowing remained.

What could be happening? Why wouldn't she just let him know how she was doing and how the baby was doing? Why wouldn't she even tell him which hospital she would be delivering at? No answer, or short "you'll know when you need to" and nothing more.

I watched as my Cousin pulled further back, away from the family slowly, for they (well meaning as they were) would always bring up the baby. His soul couldn't hold it together for much longer. No one knew how tightly he held onto the pieces of happiness that remained. No one knew the depths of his thoughts and the loss of the memory that wasn't.

Then, on what was our recently-passed grandmother's day of birth, news! The baby was here, healthy and beautiful. A little boy. But still, my Cousin was tossed around by her and her family. Told different wards at the hospital, before finally finding out that she had left the hospital.

What a torrid, painful game she had played on what had remained of his hopes.

Yet he persevered; he perseveres still. Nothing will keep him back, nothing will hold him down and keep him from happiness.

He is strong and optimistic, and he will find a way to be a part of his child's life. The life he helped create, the life he had watched grow ever so briefly in those early months of pregnancy. The life that he had dreamt of for the last ten months.

It may take time, and it may take effort. But every moment of effort will be worth it in the end, and my Cousin knows that deep within his heart.

So he waits.

*******

Thanks for reading.

If you have anyone in your life, or know anyone, who has experienced anything similar, give them a hug and be there for them. Don't bring it up unless they do, and don't pass on your opinion unless asked. It is a hard thing to go through, and even harder when you are forced to bring your thoughts back to the pain time and time again.

Peace, love, and hugs.

The Importance of Setting Goals and... my 2013 resolutions!

New Year's resolutions are known far and wide as "goals for the first week of January" which then get thrown out the window.

Setting goals for yourself is a very important part of productive and satisfying living, yet countless people set goals for themselves that they never actually acheive, or they give up after a very brief time.

Why is that? First and most important reason: You set your goals too high, too hard, or too little gratification.

Humans as a whole love instant gratification. Being able to feel at least a piece of success NOW is essential to our wanting to continue working towards that goal. By setting a goal that has no short-term or instant gratification, you are setting yourself up to give up on yourself.

How do we avoid that?

Set smaller goals. Be realistic.

If your goal is to get healthy, quantify that. Do you want to (eventually) lose 5, 10, 15 pounds? Or is it that you want to fit into a size 8, 10, 14? Or maybe even be able to do 50 sit ups, pushups, squats, etc in a row?

Set a big goal, such as: By December 31, 2013, I want to lose 20 pounds and/or fit into a size 10, and/or be able to do 100 pushups in a row.

Then, set smaller, monthly goals. Such as: I want to lose 3 pounds in January.

Then think about what you have to do to acheive the smaller goal. If monthly goals are still too big for you, or you want something a little closer, think instead of time-based goals.

Example: I want to exercise for one hour each week (great starting point for the inactive person).

Then, each day that you do even five minutes of exercise, track it. By the end of the week, you add it all up. Each week you set a new goal. Maybe it'll be the same goal repeated, maybe you'll up the ante a bit. But don't overreach yourself.

You are worth the effort it takes to acheive your goals.

With all of that out of the way, here are my goals for 2013:

1. Fit back into a size 8 and be healthy about it.
          a. Work out at least two hours each week
          b. Stop eating so much junk food. Eat fruits and vegetables instead.
2. Pay off the car loan.
          a. Find my cheques
          b. Stay within budget
          c. Track spending and budget
3. Write more
          a. Edit my NaNoWriMo2012 novel to readability and have people read it.
          b. Continue working on the first draft of my other novel
          c. Add new content to this blog and to my Helium.com profile every week.
4. Finish 3 of my university courses
          a. one at a time, starting with Introductory Composition


That's all for now, folks! If you have any tips or tricks to making and sticking with goals, share them below! Also, if you have made any resolutions this year, share them and join the conversation.

Be honest with yourself, and believe in yourself.

Peace, love, and everlasting happiness.

I Did It! (NaNoWriMo 2012)

I did it. I hit the 50,000 word goal.

I am not finished my story, what's left is mostly details and filling in the blanks that rushing through the word count created.

Not to mention fixing the multiple continuity issues that are throughout the 91 page Microsoft Word document.

But... I win.

Oh what a glorious feeling!

Thanks to everyone who believed in me, and thanks to everyone who didn't. You were all fabulous.

Peace, love, and SUCCESS!

Week 3 of NaNoWriMo - status

Heading into week 3 of national novel writing month, and I'm proud to say that o am still on track!

My characters have twisted my story a bit, and probably made it more interesting. Not to mention that they are developing fun traits that I hadn't imagined before November 1st.

I am looking forward to finishing, and this has definitely been my most reassuring, positive, and generally good feeling NaNoWriMo in all three years.

Peace, love, and write on!

I am boring

Right now I feel like a very boring person. All of my free time is going towards either working or writing, and I can't (read: won't) share with you what I'm writing right now because it's a horrible mess of a first draft that may or may not all make sense by the end.

It's coming out in chunks that are chronologically out of order, yet I must write that way and hope that I can connect it all together.

Because this story started as one thing and has become another. The other may be more interesting, and it is certainly taking me in different ways, but it was certainly unexpected. The ending I had originally planned (read: thought of) may not actually end up how it all turns out.

But you know what? I'm okay with that. Because nothing is concrete until it's published and bound. So until then, I'm going to keep trucking through this awful novel and hope that some good nuggets of literary wonder come out of it.

If you want to know anything about my novel, click this handy little link.

And, as always,

Peace, love, and WRITE DAMNIT GET OFF THE INTERNET!

Why even try to participate in NaNoWriMo?

Ever since I found out about NaNoWriMo 2 years ago, I have at least attempted to participate. Two years having attempted, and two years of not completing the goal. But am I discouraged? Hell no.

A lot of people wonder why anyone would try to write a novel in 30 days. To them, I say:

Why not?

Why would I tell myself that I can't do something, when I'm already trying to do something extremely difficult (namely: become a published author)?

The point of NaNoWriMo is not to pump out a bestselling novel ready for publishing in 30 days. The entire point is to force yourself to write, to turn off your inner editor and allow yourself to write garbage just to get your messy and fuzzy ideas out of your head and onto paper/word processor.

There can never be a final published draft without first a rough draft. And let me tell you, rough drafts are ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS crap. They are disorganized, they are unrefined, they are messy. Stephen King starts each of his novels with a rough draft that sucks, as does J.K. Rowling, as does Michael Chrichton , and every single other published and non-published author out there.

So yeah, your (and my) NaNo novel is going to suck like nothing else. But that's where beauty is made, in taking the beautiful ideas that you have strewn and barfed all over the page, and making them organized, beautiful, and maybe a little bit crazy but at least somewhat logical.

That's the point.

Peace, love, and WRITE ON B*TCHES!

NaNoWriMo 2012!

I am participating in NaNoWriMo again this year.

For those who are not familiar with the binge writing event of November, more info can be found at NaNoWriMo.org 

Basically, it is a challenge to write the first draft of a full sized novel (or at least a 50k word novella) in a month.

This is my third year attempting it. And damnit I'm going to succeed.

To track my progress, follow me on Twitter (@Lovelikewinter3) or stay tuned here. Those of you who have me on facebook will see me there updating regularly as well.

Best wishes!

Peace, love, and dear-god-I-need-to-write!

Writing Wrap-Up (Catch-up!) October 2012

It's been a while since I summarized the writing that I've been doing, so I'm going to play a little bit of catch-up for anyone who is interested.

On Helium.com I've added some flash fiction pieces, Death Overthrows, The Next Best Thing, and A Deep Awakening. Please note that these titles may be different on the Helium page, since it has to go under a general title, but I still have my own titles.

I've also thrown in a little bit of something new (and yet also old, for those who have known me a few years) by dabbling into the poetry section. Changing Memories, Neverending Ends, You and Me, and We Are One.

Finally on the Helium front, I've done some reviewing of entertainment and media. First was a review of Trespassing, the new album by the wonderful Adam Lambert. Next was a review of An Abundance of Katherines by John Green, followed by Paper Towns by John Green. Lastly (for now), a review of the Doctor Who episode "Blink" which was one of my favourites.

Other than that, I've done some work for The Golden Vanguard, the online news site that I've been with since they started. This includes another similar review of An Abundance of Katherines by John Green (great book! Gotta spread the love!). I also did a review of The Amazing Spiderman, the newest incarnation of the Marvel hero Spiderman, starring Andrew Garfield.

Some Halloween contributions for The Golden Vanguard include a brief history of the Salem Witch Trials, and something a little more recent which is the topic of whether or not children's costumes should be "sexy" (my opinion is a strong and emphatic NO!).

So that's what I've been up to lately. If you have any comments, questions, etc, feel free to leave them here or drop me a line. I'd love to hear from you!

Reading, Writing, and Halloween

Stuff that is going on right now:
-Lots of reading (John Green is my current novelist of choice, and let me tell you... phenomenal)
-Trying to write, despite the daunting and crushing pressure of my inner critic
-Making my own Halloween costume!

Life is what you make it, and right now for me it is busy. Not busy in the pretentious "oh I'm just soooo busy" but busy in the "there's a lot of things I'm working on right now and it's kind of overwhelming but satisfying at the same time" kind of way.

Which might also sound pretentious, but that interpretation is on you.

Searching out ways to tell myself that my writing is good enough is a challenge, and the thought of other people reading my fiction (as much as I WANT SO BADLY to be published) is horrifyingly scary.

Yet, how will I ever acheive it if I don't suck it up and do it?

I won't. My therapist told me the same thing. Yet, who would want to read my drabble aside from the WonderWife (who would say it's good even if she thought it was skunk-sprayed-garbage because she loves me and knows that writing makes me happy)?

Such is the trouble.

However, I am not going to let that stop me. If anyone reading this would be interested in commenting on or reviewing anything I've written (fiction or non-fiction), let me know! I need feedback to grow!

And if you want, I will return the favour by giving my honest thoughts on your creative outpouring of your soul.

As always, peace, love, and nerdtastic.

Writing chains?

Inspired by Charlie from Youtube I have decided to make it a point to accomplish at least thirty minutes of writing on my novel each and every day.

Now this probably sounds like every other internet promise in the history of the internet, but I'm going to try this thing where I make an X on a calendar for each day that I accomplish this goal at the least.

It might work, it might not. But it is something promising which has worked for a person who can procrastinate as well as I can, so what's the harm.

I am going to see how long of a chain of days I can do before I miss a day, and then try to beat that record. I'm at 2 so far!

Wish me luck!

Peace, love, and DFTBA!

Playing Catch-up: Life

Honestly, I've been neglectful at updating this blog for a few reasons.

1. I'm moving jobs in 2 weeks (from yesterday)

2. I'm moving house in a month (yay!)

3. I haven't really felt much like writing, even my novel and my articles have fallen by the wayside. (Sorry Matt & Chels)

Life is really crazy sometimes, and it just likes to throw things at you out of nowhere.

So this is just to advise you that I have not abandonned ship.

I plan to get back into the swing a bit more the next week or so.

Until then, read my other stuff, since it's fantastic.

Musings on Novel Writing

So I've been trying to actually write a novel, on and off, for around ten years now. Not the same novel the whole time, after a few years I give up on the one idea and toss it. Then I start a new one a few months later.

This time, I've been working on a novel that I think I might actually finish, but we'll see.

So, in light of this point in my novel writing "career" I'm going to share a few tips on how to actually write stuff down. In no particular order at all.

1. Just freaking write. Yeah, you aren't inspired, the light isn't right, and the moon just hasn't hit the right alignment yet. So what? Write anyways. Doesn't have to be able your story, but get something on paper.

2. Read your stuff. Go back every now and then and read stuff that you have already written. If you want, do some edits to tidy it up a bit. Maybe you'll come up with new ideas or sub-ideas to expand on just from reading your own awesome words.

3. Get over yourself. The first draft is never perfect. It isn't supposed to be, that's why it's a draft.

4. Type whole words. Seriously, no1 wantz 2 reed wen u typ lyk dis. Write the whole word out and stop being so... ridiculous. It just makes you look dumb.

5. I'm awesome, and people love reading my stuff. I don't know why, but you know what? Who cares? I love writing, so if people wanna read it, GO FOR IT! Win-win for me! Want me to read your awesome stuff? Link it to me, and I'll check it out!

Basically, if you want to write, just do it. Don't worry about being published or having the final novel manuscript when you haven't even written a first draft. Make mistakes, then make more mistakes. Fix them, learn from them, improve.

Most of all: Just write.

Flash Fiction: Sunlit World

(I wrote this for my mom, to help cheer her up since she's having a really bad day. Sharing it because that way she can come back and look at it any time.)



The hot tropical sun blazed overhead, not a cloud in the sky. Above the water shimmered a wall of fuzzy haze, occuring only when the heat was at just the right temperature. Trich lounged comfortably on her soft beach towel, eyes watching the haze through large sunglasses.

'At last the temperature is perfect,' she thought to herself, looking around to see if she knew anyone that was present on the beach. Reassured that she was entirely among strangers, she removed her beach skirt to reveal small bikini bottoms and her loose t-shirt to unveil a small bikini top.

Laying back down, she adjusted to a comfortable position and closed her eyes. Basking in the glorious heat, she felt the last remnants of chill melting out of her body beneath the blazing sun.

Times like these, where she needed sun so hot that it caused a haze in the sky to feel fully warm, she didn't feel quite human. Most of the others who were on the beach were in the water, the rest were in the shade beneath large beach umbrellas or leafy trees.

With her eyes closed, she blocked out the rest of the world. Behind her eyelids, she could see things that weren't there, like the world was falling into place as she watched. Seeing this always gave her a sense of peace.

She only once ever told anyone about the things she saw with her eyes closed, her mother. After telling her, Trich's mom tried to have her committed into an institution. There was a lot of backpedalling and claims of 'just a dream' to avoid that fate. Institutionalized, not a chance. They never got to lay out in the sun, as she was right now. As she needed to in order to maintain a healthy body temperature.

Trich felt that her entire front side was fully warmed, and rolled over onto her stomach. Settling in once more, she focused on watching the world through closed eyes. Everything made more sense that way.




Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think below.